Tag Archives: mechanical heart valves

Introduction Mechanical valve replacements were first developed in the 1960s with the Starr-Edwards ball-and-cage valve.1 These valves required strict anticoagulation with warfarin, and were subsequently replaced by the less thrombogenic tilting disc valves, and then bileaflet valves. Despite advances in valve technology, even the newer-generation valves require anticoagulation to manage the thromboembolic risk. Currently, vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), such as warfarin, are the only licensed medicines for the reduction of thromboembolic risk, with direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) currently contraindicated.2,3 What is the current evid